Electrical connection insulating housings



June 1954 J. c. COLLIER EFAL ELECTRICAL CONNECTION INSULATING HOUSINGS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 26, 1962 INVENTOR5 JOHN C. COL

ueR BY Luclauo OBERT MQW l AID TIL I All? June 16, 1964 J. c. COLLIER ETAI. 3,137,535

ELECTRICAL CONNECTION INSULATING HOUSINGS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 26, 1962 R o m w W Jon: C. COLUER BY LUCIHNO B T W W W United States Patent 3,137,535 ELECTRICAL CONNECTION INSULATING HOUSINGS John C. Collier, Farnworth, England, and Luciano Obert,

Turin, Italy, assignors to AMP Incorporated, Harrisburg, Pa. 7

Filed Feb. 26, 1962, Ser. No. 175,697 2 Claims. (Cl. 339-61) This invention relates to electrical connector housings, particularly to bipartite housings that have integral means for aligning and securing the parts in assembled relationship.

An object of the invention is to provide housings that can be assembled or disassembled from each other without the necessity of tools. A further object of the invention is to provide housings which can receive a wide range of conductor wire sizes due to the configuration and size of openings provided for this purpose. A further object is to provide housings which do not require expensive supplemental components, such as clamps or fasteners, for holding the housing parts together.

The foregoing objects are attained according to this invention by an insulating plug housing and an insulating socket housing which independently and respectively contain the electrical contacts to be joined in connection.

Typical housings carry the contact blades and the contact receptacles in separate housings. It is to be noted that in the instant invention, the contact blade is contained within the socket housing and the contact receptacle is contained within the plug housing.

The plug housing is characterized by being provided with one or more longitudinal ribs on one face and one or more longitudinal ribs on the other face, said ribs are suitably tapered and terminate with a step, while the socket housing is provided with an accommodating step receiving portion in order to provide for an improved means for snap lock engagement by the steps of said longitudinal ribs when these two housings are joined together.

Other objects and attainments of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon an examination of the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the drawings in which there is shown and described an illustrative embodiment of the invention; it is to be understood, however, that this embodiment is not intended to be exhaustive nor limiting the invention but is given for purposes of illustration in order that others skilled in the art may fully understand the invention and the principles thereof and the manner of applying it in practical use so that they may modify it in various forms, each as may be best suited to the conditions of a particular use.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is an axonometrical sketch of the plug and socket insulating housing parts, unassembled, in accordance with the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the plug insulating housing, revealing the opposite end and the bottom portion thereof;

FIGURE 3 shows a section of the plug housing taken along lines 3-3 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is an end view of the socket housing revealing the opposite end from what is shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 5 is a section of the socket housing taken along lines 5-5 of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of the plug and socket insulating housings assembled for the purpose of connecting a series of lead wires;

FIGURE 7 is a sectional view taken along lines 7-7 of FIGURE 6, showing the contact blade and the contact receptacle in connection;

Patented June 16, 1964 FIGURE 8 is an enlarged partial side view taken along lines 8-8 of FIGURE 7.

Referring now to the illustrations:

FIGURE 1 shows a bipartite housing assembly in disconnected relationship made according to the invention. Housing plug part 2 is formed so as to fit into the socket housing 10. Each part being formed with a series of passageways or through opening 4 for receiving and retaining an array of contact elements, said elements can best be seen in FIGURES 7 and 8. These housing parts carry contact blades and contact receptacles, such contact elements being well known in the art and form no part of the invention.

The rear end openings 6 of socket 4 are enlarged in relation to normal size so as to permit the usage of conductor wires with heavier insulation and hence of greater diameter.

In accordance with the invention, a tapered rib 8 projects from an outer sidewall of housing 2 and is slightly tapered to extend rearwardly from the front edge of the plug housing to terminate in an elevated step 8a in order to polarize and to prevent housing 2 from being wrongly fitted together or assembled with the socket insulating housing 10. Socket housing 10 is formed with a matching channel 12 for receiving the rib 8 that is located on the plug housing 2.

As can be seen in the drawings, one side 14 opposite to side 16 of the plug housing 2 which includes rib 8, is formed with one or more tapered tooth-shaped members 18. The toth-shaped members can be seen in FIG-.

URES l or 2. The taper is such that the rib 8 and teeth 18 project outwardly to their maximum extent at points 8A and 18A respectively, thus to terminate in stop shoulders which are at locations away from the end that is inserted into the socket housing as can be seen in FIGURES 1 and 3.

On the interior of the socket housing 10 there are cavities 20 for the lead wires which are enlarged for the same purpose as disclosed in regard to openings 6. As can be seen in FIGURES 1 or 5, cavity 22 serves as a socket for the plug insulating housing 2. Inside said cavity 22 there are provided a series of projections 24, as can be seen in FIGURES 1, 5 or 7, arranged parallel to the rim of the mouth in the said cavity.

When the plug insulating housing 2 and the socket insulating 10 are fitted together, as revealed in FIGURE 7, for the purpose of making a connection between the plug and socket insulating parts, projections 24 cooperate with the extremities 18A of the teeth 18 which form part of plug insulating housing 2, and also with the extremity 8A of the tapered rib 8 which also is a segment of the plug insulating housing 2. It will be noted that when the plug and socket insulating housing are fitted together, no tools are required.

The engagement of teeth 18, rib 8 and the projection 24 prevent slippage or movement due to their tight fit and hence the prevention of parting of the insulating housings 2 and 10 from each other, and at the same time prevents one of the housings from becoming inclined in relation to the other which might lead to an unreliable connection. It is also noted that when the plug and socket housings are joined together, no clamps or fasteners are required in order to hold these two parts together.

The housings can also be disassembled one from the other by manually disengaging the plug from the socket housing. This operation is also accomplished without the use of tools.

The main particulars of the connection according to the invention may be summarized as follows:

Upon the plug housing 2 being inserted into cavity 22 of the socket insulating housing 10, rib 8 and teeth 18 of the insulating housing 2 exert a pressure against the projection 24 of the socket insulating housing 10, thus causing the said projection 24 to bend slightly outwards toward the Walls carrying the said projection, until such time as the plug insulating part 2 is seated, at which time the projections return to their respective normal and original positions due to their elastic qualities and thus form a tight locking lit with the edges 8A of ribs 3 and 18A of teeth 18 respectively.

,It will be observed that rib 8 and teeth 16 are substantially tapered and they are so formed in order that, in addition to performing the above mentioned functions, they can facilitate the insertion of plug insulating housing 2 into the socket insulating housing 10.

The exact alignment which is obtained between the members 2 and 10 according to the invention, may also be mentioned at this point.

We claim:

1. A housing assembly for electrical contact sets comprising plug and socket parts of resilient insulating material, a polarizing and longitudinally extending rib and channel along adjacent sides of said respective parts, at least said rib being tapered along the longitudinal axis to press the opposed sides of said parts opposite said adjacent sides forcefully together upon inserting the plug part into the socket part, longitudinal tooth means and plural transverse projections on said opposed sides, said tooth means being tapered to terminate in a stop shoulder disposed to engage behind one of said projections according to the insertion depth of said plug part into said 4 socket part determined by interengagement of said rib and channel. 2. A housing assembly according to claim 1 wherein plural transverse projections are provided adjacent the insertion end of said channel to cooperate with the rear edge of said polarizing rib to secure said parts together.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,755,166 Cannon Apr. 22, 1930 2,061,190 Ericson Nov. 17, 1936 2,105,833 Feuer et al Jan. 18, 1938 2,441,907 Schmitt May 18, 1948 2,493,756 Fetherolf et al. Jan. 10, 1950 2,499,825 Havlicek Mar. 7, 1950 2,619,515 Doane Nov. 25, 1952 2,809,361 Woofter et a1. Oct. 8, 1957 2,891,103 Swengel June 16, 1959 2,924,807 Field Feb. 9, 1960 2,989,724 Woofter June 20, 1961 3,002,175 Bertram et al. Sept. 26, 1961 3,065,447 Maurer Nov. 20, 1962 3,067,974 Baldwin Dec. 11, 1962 FOREIGN PATENTS 215,884 Australia July 3, 1958 362,993 Germany Nov. 3, 1922 715,152 Germany Dec. 15, 1941 869,656 Germany Mar. 5, 1953 

1. A HOUSING ASSEMBLY FOR ELECTRICAL CONTACT SETS COMPRISING PLUG AND SOCKET PARTS OF RESILIENT INSULATING MATERIAL, A POLARIZING AND LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING RIB AND CHANNEL ALONG ADJACENT SIDES OF SAID RESPECTIVE PARTS, AT LEAST SAID RIB BEING TAPERED ALONG THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS TO PRESS THE OPPOSED SIDES OF SAID PARTS OPPOSITE SAID ADJACENT SIDES FORCEFULLY TOGETHER UPON INSERTING THE PLUG PART INTO THE SOCKET PART, LONGITUDINAL TOOTH MEANS AND PLURAL TRANSVERSE PROJECTIONS ON SAID OPPOSED SIDES, SAID TOOTH MEANS BEING TAPERED TO TERMINATE IN A STOP SHOULDER DISPOSED TO ENGAGE BEHIND ONE OF SAID PROJECTIONS ACCORDING TO THE INSERTION DEPTH OF SAID PLUG PART INTO SAID SOCKET PART DETERMINED BY INTERENGAGEMENT OF SAID RIB AND CHANNEL. 